In this paper, a method to fabricate radio frequency (RF) circuit structures is described. This method involves inkjet printing of a silver nanoparticle-based ink on a functional substrate material to create the seed track (i.e., the seed layer), onto which copper is subsequently deposited by an electroless plating method, to obtain the desired thickness and conductivity of the RF structures. This process combination was validated by fabricating an S-band filter on a high-frequency substrate and comparing the RF performance of this filter with that of a filter fabricated using the conventional lithography-based method. The adhesion of the circuit structures to the substrate was qualitatively ascertained by the scotch tape test method. The performance of the inkjet-printed-electroless-plated filter was comparable to that of the conventional filter, thus proving the suitability of this novel method for practical RF applications.

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Laser induced forward transfer is an emerging material deposition technology. We investigated the feasibility of this technique for printing thermally sensitive, electrically conductive adhesives with and without using an intermediate dynamic release layer. A 248 nm KrF-excimer laser was used to print the epoxy-based conductive adhesives containing silver flakes down to 75 µm dot size. The process is particularly relevant for realizing electrical connections to surface mount devices in the microelectronics industry. Characterization of the printed materials was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, four-point electrical measurements, die-shear testing and temperature shock testing, to establish that the properties of the adhesive were not affected by direct or indirect laser irradiation. The lack of degradation by the laser onto the adhesives confirms the potential of this technique for interconnection applications.